Chapter 46: The fox spirit hidden in the transverse bone

Ru Xue asked me not to stop her, so I really didn’t. Just like my master and Ling Qing’s grandmother, if you decide to do something, even if it means death, I won’t stop you, but I will be with you.

Besides, Ru Xue has already explained to me that in order for these bugs not to wreak havoc in the old forest, her implication is that I cannot stop these bugs.

People will die, but the forest is bigger than our lives.

So, I worry about Ruoxue, but I have an inexplicable peace of mind, as long as we are not doing something wrong.

After the bug had devoured Ru Xue’s essence, it flew to Ru Xue’s shoulder, swaying like a drunk, and then lay down motionless. The other two bugs were fed by Ru Xue’s blood, which she had cut her middle finger to obtain.

After consuming Ru Xue’s blood, the two bugs flew around the entire cave with a strange buzzing sound. The bugs began to move, but they crawled towards the walls of the entire cave.

Then I saw a terrifying scene. The bugs began to gnaw at the cave. In just a moment, the beautiful cave had small pits like the passage we came in, densely packed, and the bugs stayed inside and didn’t move.

I suddenly got goosebumps. Did the dense pits and holes in the tunnel we came in through come from the bugs? Or were they hiding there before?

This feeling is undoubtedly the feeling of narrowly escaping death. I broke into a cold sweat.

“It’s okay.” After all this, Ruoxue was a little pale, and the biggest bug was still lying on her shoulder, while the other two bugs had actually gnawed into the rock wall and stayed inside.

“So the bugs won’t come out and won’t move?” Old Zhang asked hesitantly, implying that we should do something to completely eliminate the bugs.

“Don’t touch them, at least for now they’re fine.” Ru Xue said this, hesitated for a moment, and then continued, “There won’t be any problems in the future.” After saying this, Ru Xue sat down on the ground, exhausted. After all, she had squeezed out a drop of blood, and it was too much of a drain.

Is this the end of the dust settling? I entered the cave for no reason, and then I left for no reason. Ru Xue had a lot on her mind, and she also lost a little essence. Our only gain was the ancient scroll of animal skins. I was wondering if the decision to enter the cave was correct.

I gave Ru Xue a little water and some food. I helped Ru Xue rest, but I began to doubt whether the whole thing was correct. Why did it develop to such a point just by looking for a spirit essence?

The usually active Wu Laogui has been very quiet since he said the fox moved. Chengxin asked him, “Why aren’t you talking anymore?”

Wu Laogui whispered and replied cautiously: “I can feel that these bugs can swallow me!”

I couldn’t help but frown. If necessary, I was afraid that I would have to notify the relevant departments to take action. Such bugs are undoubtedly more terrifying. But at this time, Ru Xue slowly recovered and said to me in a soft voice, “Chengyi, did you notice the fox skin?”

“Well, what’s the matter?” I looked at the fox skin. Apart from maintaining a unique luster, I didn’t notice anything special.

“I just said that one of the keys to your entering the immortal’s tomb is here, and the secret is hidden on that fox skin. Can you see that the whole fox has been devoured, but its skull still exists, and its soul still remains a trace, hidden in the transverse bone of the skull. How to extract the soul, you know, right?” Ru Xue said to me softly, but it was a bit laborious.

I looked at the fox skin. Its skull did exist. I didn’t pay attention to it at first, but when Ru Xue mentioned it, I remembered an anecdote. For demons to transform and attain enlightenment, the most crucial step is to refine the transverse bone at the back of the skull. Only after the transverse bone is completely refined can the demon be considered truly accomplished.

I never thought that the blue-eyed fox would still have a trace of its soul left. It was really a fox that could think of such a way to leave its soul in the transverse bone. I never thought that the transverse bone, the biggest obstacle set by the gods and demons, could not even swallow the worm.

The fox’s remnant soul is one of the keys to opening the immortal’s tomb? How did Ruoxue know? Once again, I suppressed the doubts in my heart. Yes, along the way, I had a lot of doubts, and I acted along Ruoxue’s meaning. It wasn’t that I was dumb or stupid, but that I understood what respect meant!

I only needed to know that Ru Xue would not harm me, and that she was always doing the right thing. In the end, it was she who stopped the bugs, wasn’t it?

“I know what to do,” I calmly replied to Ru Xue, letting her lean against the cave wall to rest while I stood up.

Ru Xue looked at me with a look of emotion in her eyes. She understood that I had chosen to believe and “let go” from the beginning to the end.

“Chengxin, wait a moment. I’ll draw a soul-collecting talisman.” As I spoke, I took out a blue talisman paper, a box of cinnabar, and a talisman brush from my backpack.

Even if it is a remnant soul, this level of demon can still be matched with a blue talisman.

“Don’t worry, Chengyi.” Chengxin replied lightly, a bit tired. Although we hadn’t fought on the way, the kind of mental stress that comes from being uncertain and suspicious is simply not something that can be described in words.

The blue talisman required me to concentrate all my mental energy to draw it. I quickly began to calm my mind and draw the talisman.

But at the very moment I was drawing the talisman, I could always smell a strange smell from the tip of my nose. It was hard to smell, and I couldn’t tell what it was. Unfortunately, during the process of drawing the talisman, I could feel the outside world, but I couldn’t think, and I couldn’t be affected.

This strange smell accompanied me until I finished drawing the talisman, and it never dissipated. On the contrary, it became stronger and stronger. I picked up the talisman paper, and it felt as if I had caught something in my heart. But at that moment, Ru Xue shouted, “Chengyi, don’t think about anything. Quickly collect your soul. It will be too late later.”

I promised and began to step on the magic circle and pinch the hand movements to pull the soul out of the transverse bone. It required a strong spiritual power, which could only be achieved with the help of the magic circle, and the pinch movements were used to ensure that the remaining soul could enter the soul-collecting talisman smoothly.

The blue soul-collecting talisman, though it cannot nourish the soul like the soul-nourishing jar, can still ensure that the soul’s power does not dissipate again and again.

This step is simple, and I quickly finished it. My soul felt unusually relaxed and comfortable, surging with powerful strength. Because this is a place of accumulated yin, it nourishes the soul the most, and even stepping on the step is easier and more powerful.

After the walking the geomantic lines, my spiritual power was constantly “advancing,” caressing the fox fur and entering the fox skull. In a hidden location in the skull, a section of the white jade-like transverse bone unique to the demon was hidden there. My spiritual power tried to break through there again and again.

This is a difficult process. I have to try to break through, but I can’t “exert too much force,” otherwise I might hurt the remaining soul of the blue-eyed fox. This process is the most careful, just like pulling out a person’s soul in the human spirit. If you are not careful, you will make someone a fool and damage their soul.

My forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, but just at this moment, the old Wu ghost’s loud exclamation and the old Zhang’s terrified cry came. The strong smell of the monster filled my nostrils, and I even heard a laugh: “Hehehe…”

It was so familiar, but I didn’t dare to think about it!

I heard Ruoxue say, “Don’t panic, it won’t affect Chengyi.”

I heard Chengxin say, “Let me do it this time. Chengyi, you can rest assured that your soul will be collected.”

Really? Brother Chengxin is going to fight? I calmed my mind and simply recited the mantra of meditation in my heart, closing my five senses. I struck the transverse bone again and again, not knowing how many times I had tried. I entered the transverse bone with a loud bang.

It seemed as if the world had turned black. In the world of the mind, it was a silent blackness, but in the middle of the blackness, there was a white spot that was so conspicuous. The white spot was a sleeping fox, very small, very fragile, and even very fearful.

When it was sleeping, it would inadvertently stick out a small red tongue. If a girl were here, she would definitely exclaim how cute it was, and would not think of it as a terrifying demon that eats human organs!

Is this the first, deepest form of soul expression in memory? It reminds me of the beginning of the ancient scroll of animal skins, in a vast forest, a little fox was born!

“Wake up, wake up, I’ll take you with me.” My spiritual power gently stroked the little white fox, calling out repeatedly. In fact, my mind was not very stable. Although I had closed my five senses, I could still feel the ground shaking. I was worried about what was going on outside.

But this kind of thing can’t be rushed, because the remnant soul that has been sleeping for so long is not so easy to wake up.

But it seemed to sense my impatience, and the sleeping tiger suddenly woke up. It was not very conscious, and at this time it only subconsciously, almost instinctively, let out a tiger roar.

No, it wasn’t a tiger roar, it was a low, guttural sound. What was Silly Tiger doing?